I’m sure at some point in your life, you’ve fallen victim to a horoscope you saw in a magazine or an app. You either think you’re a Pisces, Libra, or whatever the rest are. I don’t mean to rain on your parade or anything but if you live your life based off of these human written predictions, you have GOT to do your research.
Astrology itself suggests that the movement of stars, planets and moons in the universe or perhaps the solar system influence your personality, moods and life events. I’m sorry, but what? You’re telling me that a rock floating around in outer space is the reason why I like chocolate ice cream but not vanilla? Sounds ridiculous, right? If you’re still not convinced, here’s this.
Astrology has failed to prove that the positioning or movement of the planets outside of our Earth have anything to do with how we live our lives or the way we are, leading to its categorization as a pseudoscience – statements, beliefs, or practices that are claimed to factual but don’t necessarily have validity in the way the scientific method would like. I mean, come on. Has anyone been able to prove that since Neptune moved an inch or two the other way, I’m suddenly going on a spending spree?
Zodiac signs seem to be very popular nowadays, as they have been for a long while. They categorize people based on their birthdays and attempt to explain their personalities according to that. Not to mention the vague descriptions that are often given in the horoscopes that are meant to predict the future. Like, “you will receive good news sometime in the future” and sure enough, my Amazon package arrived later that day! But did that have anything to do with the way Venus was positioned or just the fact that I have Amazon Prime (still, unfortunately and I’m sorry!).
Sciences tend to say the same thing. Biology, physics, chemistry at some point have demonstrated overlap or similarity in their own niches. Though there are several types of astrology, they do not say the same thing or seem to have a connection whatsoever. This means that I can have varying signs that say different things, all I have to do is pick and choose whichever tickles my fancy.
Here’s something to consider. According to the zodiac signs, my sign would be Pisces, a water sign. That’s completely ridiculous sounding from the get-go because I am petrified of water and my zodiac suggests that I find comfort in it.
This horoscope from Astrology.com reads, “May 15, 2020: The universe is finally giving you the green light to proceed with your plans, even if doing so requires you to skip past the authority figures in your life! Their ideas aren’t as valuable to you right now as ideas from your peers, so listen to them instead. Pay attention to the people at your level. What are they doing and how are they doing it? You’ll learn from their mistakes, and more importantly, you’ll gain insight from their successes.”
The prediction from Cafeastrology.com for May 15th, 2020 reads, “Today’s energies are especially good for family affairs and emotional matters, dear Pisces. Honesty with those closest to you can help improve bonds. You might enjoy a pleasant commitment to your family, domestic world, or personal life. You’re willing to put in extra effort to make life easier or more comfortable. You’re also more open than usual, and it’s appreciated. It’s a decent day for communicating more effectively. Your good intentions shine through in your words. You might benefit from word of mouth or receive some interesting offers now. This is also a good time to feel a connection with someone special, and there can be a nice sense of growth and faith in a relationship. You prefer to see the bigger picture when making decisions, and this benefits you greatly.”
So, the messages I’m getting seem to be different. Astrology.com suggests that I skip past authority figures in my life whereas Cafeastrology.com suggests that today is a good day for family bonding time. One can argue that there are members of the family that come off as authority figures, so what should I do, and what should I not do? Now, I’m not too sure what Astrology.com is suggesting by adding that I should listen to my peers instead of the authority figures. If there’s nothing of that sort going on in my life, I have nothing to apply it to, right? So, this “prediction” is unnecessary to my life. But, say I had creative differences from a family member, friend, or colleague, I’d be able to apply this to myself and say, “yeah, omg! Astrology is SO helpful!”
According to astrology-zodiac-signs.com, I am a Pisces, my best friends are Aquarius, Gemini and Libra. Water signs, apparently, are “exceptionally emotional and ultra-sensitive.” I don’t think I am exceptionally emotional and definitely not ultra-sensitive. I can say that I am very expressive with my words. Apparently, the water signs “rarely do anything openly” which I would like to say is untrue for myself. I am an open book and believe in being real with other people in whatever manner necessary. Also, take into account that this is only one sites’ description of the water signs Cancer, Scorpio and of course, Pisces.
These descriptions are extremely vague and seem to generalize people into certain categories, yet again, based on when they happened to emerge from their mother’s vaginal canal. Yes, that was an Office reference. Something rather astounding to me is that in the site’s true fact section, they listed some very odd facts that do not back up the legitimacy of astrology and what phenomenons it deems to be scientific.
According to the site, the prerequisite of mathematics and astronomy make astrology a legitimate science. Now, there are gullible people in the world that are quick to believe this is a factual claim. Just because my dog has a tail and ears, I can’t categorize it as a horse. There has to be proof to actually back up what I’m saying. Astrology should be limited to fun. There are plenty of scammers out there making money because they made a vague claim and it aligned with what the person attached it to. These scammers are found all over the world. Education is the greatest tool, use it and don’t become one yourself!
Sources:
Astrology.com horoscope: https://www.astrology.com/horoscope/daily/pisces.html
Caféastrology.com horoscope: https://cafeastrology.com/piscesdailyhoroscope.html
Zodiac signs: https://www.astrology-zodiac-signs.com/